KINGSTON

James Prescott, Senr.,Ebenezer Webster and others, inhabitants of Hampton, petitioned the governor and council for a grant of a township, to be formed principally from the unimproved land in the western part of this town.

The town having been notified, chose as their agent, Capt. Henry Dow, to go to New Castle the next day, May 18, 1694, to appear before the governor and council, "to manifest the town's earnest desire that no township might be granted to any persons." any portion of which should "come within seven miles of Hampton Meeting-house westward, upon a straight line." This "desire" was a reasonable one, for originally the township extended several miles farther west than this, and though no settlements had hitherto been made there, yet several thousand acres of the land had been laid out and assigned by lot to the proprietors of the common lands. Indeed, a considerable portion of the New Plantation lay more than seven miles west of the Meeting-House. The proposition of the town, indeed, appeared so reasonable, that it was assented to at the time by James Prescott, Senr, in behalf of the petitioners.

The prayer of the petitioners was granted, and on the 6th of August, 1694, the new town was incorporated, by the name of Kingstown, the grant including the present towns of Kingston, East Kingston, Danville (formerly Hawke), and Sandown, Hampton having laid out and disposed of a part of this territory, difficulties afterwards arose, and the town was involved in lawsuits, which will be more particularly noticed in another place.

NEW CASTLE'S PETITION REJECTED

The year before the incorporation of Kingston, the town of New Castle had been formed, including within its limits, Great Island, Little Harbor, and Sandy Beach (now Rye), all of which had previously belonged to Portsmouth. About two years after its incorporation, that is, in 1695, the inhabitants petitioned for an enlargement of territory, by the annexation of a considerable tract of the northern part of Hampton. In obedience to an order from the lieutenant-governor and council, the town chose as agents, to appear before them and state their objections to the prayer of the petitioners, Capt. Henry Dow and Lieut. Christopher Palmer; and gave them full power to act for the town, according to their discretion. The agents appeared at court, and objected, in substance, "that , if the prayer of the petitioners is granted, it will take away our principal feeding lands in that part of the town, without which, it will be impossible to carry on our farms; for the cattle of the petitioners trespass already, but if this is allowed, they will trespass still further, and feed home to our lots' end; that it is very strange, moreover, that they should not know the present bounds, seeing they were determined forty years ago, by four men, two of Portsmouth, of which New Castle was then a part, and two of Hampton, empowered for that end, [Bryan Pendleton and John Pickering, of Portsmouth; and William Fifield and Thomas Marston, of Hampton.]

After the hearing in May, the case "was laid aside for farther consideration;" and it does not appear that it was brought up again, The assembly was dissolved the 2nd of November following.

Some of the people of Portsmouth, having expressed a desire for a more direct road than the one then travelled between that town and Hampton, Capt, Henry Dow and Sergt.John Marston were chosen on the part of this town, March 15, 1697, "to see if they could find a nearer way." Their report has not been found.